Living Waters Village

The project – Living Waters Village

Introducing Ronny and Kay Heyboer

Ronny and Kay left Australia for Borneo in January 1995. They began their work in the city of Kuching, East Malaysia on the Island of Borneo where Ronny was assisting with the church planting program in a local ministry. In 1997 they relocated to the Indonesian part of Borneo, West Kalimantan, which is where they continue to minister today. They also have their two youngest children; Nathaniel, and Joel with them in Indonesia.

Ministry name

Rivers of life Ministries.

Project Name: Living Waters Village

Background

With a population of more than 230 million people, it is difficult for many children in Indonesia to attend school and receive an education. There just aren’t enough schools. Children in remote areas often have to leave their home to attend school in a larger town or village. Then there is the problem of accommodation in the towns where the schools are. Children younger than 12 are often responsible for looking after younger brothers and sisters and then need to find work to pay for food and school fees. Some children manage to find accommodation with people and work long hours to pay for their board and keep. Many children are malnourished, abused and suffer from diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and typhoid.

The beginning

We moved to the city of Sintang in January 2002 and rented a large building so that we could provide accommodation for school children who were in need. We now have more than 600 school children and young people living with us, some of our young people we are supporting through tertiary education to gain skills which will benefit the ministry in the future, so too at Bible College and 55 fulltime workers and leaders.

The vision

We have purchased 300 hectares of land (700-800 acres) in the jungle and commenced an extensive building project which will provide accommodation for 1,000 neglected children and schools for 2,000 children, from primary to high school level, workers’ and teachers’ accommodation, training centre, Praise & Worship centre, clinic, bakery, administration building, a nursery for the babies, visitors quarters, radio station, sewing rooms and Bible College.

Apart from children having their physical needs met and receiving an education, they will also be fed and trained spiritually. We equip these young people so that they can return to their villages as well as go into other villages that are unreached, plant churches and bring the gospel to their people.

Our team

Apart from several young leaders who have completed their Bible College courses, we also have a number of families from around the world who have come to help us. We also have 70 full time labourers that we employ from the local community. We always welcome visiting teams and individuals who want to come and assist us in some way. Want to know what you can do as a volunteer? Click here!